Becoming a Better Runner: USATF Running Coach Certification Class
I spent this weekend at a USATF Level One Coaching Certification class and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I took the course for my own benefit; I want to learn as much as I can about the sport and training theory. I believe it will make me a better runner. So I spent all Friday evening, twelves hours on Saturday and most of the day Sunday sitting in a class to become a better runner. I think I lucked out in the instructors we had because they were passionate about the material, passionate enough to get creative and have breakout sessions where we actually put everything we had been learning into practice; my shoulder is a little sore from practicing the shot put power position and throw on Sunday (so fun!). I've heard this is unusual, that normally the class doesn't stray from the format of "sit on your butt and listen to the power point." Here's a little bit about the instructors who taught the class:
Joel Bergeron, MS. is a former NCAA Div 1 multi events coach and current NSCA NH chapter director. He has lectured internationally within the strength & Conditioning field, is an active author for several trade journals, and director of operations for the NLP Strength & Conditioning Center.
Russ Ebbets, DC has been the editor of Track Coach magazine for years, and formerly an Associate Professor at the New York Chiropractic College where he was an advisor for the Sports Science Club. Ebbetts has been providing free chiropractic adjustments at the Dartmouth Relays for years along with his students.
Paul Souza worked for 17 seasons at Wheaton College and was voted USTCA National Indoor Coach of the Year in 2002. Amongst his decorated accomplishments his teams won 5 NCAA division 3 championships under his guidance.
Kudos to them for being so creative! The venue was also conducive to the breakout sessions we did on Sunday, it was held at NLP Strength & Conditioning so there were plenty of medicine balls, sleds, hurdles and space to do skipping, running and jumping drills. We did a fair amount of sitting on our buts, but the power point was augmented with lots of anecdotal stories and information from each of the instructors.
Though I'm not a fan of the power point format, the information was great. The geek in me (sometimes I forget that I was a biology major up until my junior year of college) loved the biomechanical presentation. Track and field events are all about forces and motion. Physics. It is fascinating. Talking about velocity, parabolic flight, hinge moments, centripetal force all that makes me want to go back to school. I should have been a biomechanist and not and English teacher.
The amount of information I received over the weekend is staggering, but here are the big "take aways" that were most applicable to me:
Drills, Drills and Drills: foot drills to strengthen the feet, strides, form drills. I need to do them and I need to do them often if I want to improve my form and become a more efficient=better runner.
A Dynamic Warm Up is Important: 15-35 minutes of drills, core and hip strength. This can also replace an "easy day."
Periodization of Training: more isnt necessarily better. Train with a purpose towards when you want to peak.
There is so much more that I am still processing, and as I go deeper into the information I'm sure there will be more "take away" points that will be beneficial. But for now I'm trying to apply as much of what I learned to my own training. I think if my experience had been different (as in if the course had been all power point) I would have a hard time recommending the course to others; the real value came from the instructors presenting it and the breakout sessions where we got to put into practice what we were learning.
What is the most beneficial thing you have ever done for you running/training?
Sarah
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